After years of trial and error, DU magazine editor-at-large Wade Bourne finally built what he believes is the perfect duck blind

What's in a duck blind? There's lumber and nails, maybe a coat of paint, and some camouflage netting or burlap, topped off with cut brush or marsh grass. But there's a lot more in a duck blind than meets the eye. There's hard work, ingenuity, and the hopes and dreams of the hunter or hunters who built it.

Two summers ago my hunting partners and I built a new blind, applying much of what we've learned over several decades of duck hunting. It's not the biggest or grandest blind ever built. But in the past two seasons this blind has proven itself in terms of concealment, comfort, and shooting.

Following is an overview of our blind, including where we built it, its design and dimensions, the materials we used, our camouflage scheme, and the special features we added for comfort and safety. I wrote this article with two purposes in mind. The first was to stir the imagination of other duck hunters. Perhaps some of our ideas can be used in their blind designs. The second purpose was to celebrate the ingenuity and exuberance of duck blind architects everywhere. No two blinds are alike, but all hunters share the same sense of accomplishment when the ducks commit to the decoys with wings cupped and feet down, as if the blind isn't even there.

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